Microsoft / Activision Deal Approval Watch |OT| (MS/ABK close)

Do you believe the deal will be approved?

  • Yes, will be approved without changes.

    Votes: 221 24.9%

  • Yes, will be approved but with structural changes to ABK.

    Votes: 102 11.5%

  • Yes, will be approved but only with behavioral concessions.

    Votes: 262 29.6%

  • No, will not be approved.

    Votes: 301 34.0%
  • Total voters
    886
  • Poll closed .
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Coulomb_Barrier said:
V2Na7k9.jpg


Would you listen to this...:messenger_grinning_squinting: Megacorp Microsoft are getting their feelings hurt here!

All 4 of those have been dragged through the coals by anti-trust bodies you cunt!
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This line of thinking is exceedingly small-minded. CMA might be difficult with Microsoft in this case, but they are helping them out a lot with Apple on a different one.
 
GHG said:
If that's what underpins their reason for existence then they are fucked.

Let me put it this way, if Sony were to cease to exist then other than money, what motivates them?

All of that goes some way to explaining why they have failed to carve out a niche or even an identity for themselves the whole time they've been in the console industry.
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For Microsoft it's always been ownership of the living room. That's why as soon as they had a glimpse of leadership they executed their Xbox One shenanigans

I would argue it was once that for Sony too but they successfully pivoted into an actual gaming organisation. Microsoft got rid of anyone who had a vision of Xbox as a leading gaming platform instead of a trojan horse
 
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GHG said:
If that's what underpins their reason for existence then they are fucked.

Let me put it this way, if Sony were to cease to exist then other than money, what motivates them?

All of that goes some way to explaining why they have failed to carve out a niche or even an identity for themselves the whole time they've been in the console industry.
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Call me narrow minded or lacking foresight but I really thought they were on the road to something great with the OG and 360.

I know it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things particularly what's going on in the world, I put a lot of money into the ecosystem and to see it the way it is these days as a passionate fan just saddens me.
 
digoutyoursoul said:
Call me narrow minded or lacking foresight but I really thought they were on the road to something great with the OG and 360.

I know it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things particularly what's going on in the world, I put a lot of money into the ecosystem and to see it the way it is these days as a passionate fan just saddens me.
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Yep, the 360 was my main platform throughout that generation. Like you said they were on song with what the gaming community wanted, and for the first 3-4 years at least it was clear they were putting everything they could into it. They released so many great games for that console.

How they've since managed to lose their way I'll never understand. The pivot to kinect and then to something else entirely was baffling. But for me it comes down to leadership, after Peter Moore left it was all downhill.
 
digoutyoursoul said:
Call me narrow minded or lacking foresight but I really thought they were on the road to something great with the OG and 360.

I know it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things particularly what's going on in the world, I put a lot of money into the ecosystem and to see it the way it is these days as a passionate fan just saddens me.
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They definitely were. J Allard and Peter Moore were a deadly leadership team. They threw the baby out with the bathwater when the 360 success wasn't enough and they decided to chase the Wii's gimmick success with Kinect.

Then tried to shoe horn in DRM and built in Kinect

Literally changed everything they had built to that point for Kinect. It's no wonder Moore and Allard abandoned ship before that all took shape
 
Coulomb_Barrier said:
V2Na7k9.jpg


Would you listen to this...:messenger_grinning_squinting: Megacorp Microsoft are getting their feelings hurt here!

All 4 of those have been dragged through the coals by anti-trust bodies you cunt!
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Microsoft has made waaaay more big purchases. Also this is the biggest purchase for the FAANG companies by a mile.
 
Heisenberg007 said:
Yeah, the judge agreed with Sony and quashed the request by Microsoft -- along with a bunch of other unreasonable requests. Pretty much agreed with Sony on all points.
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Judge says Sony failed to show good cause for the extension sought. Denied, and must still produce documents they've thus far been unwilling to produce in any form (even partially) = pretty much agreed with sony on all points. :messenger_grinning_sweat:

WWSRad9.jpg
 
SenjutsuSage said:
Judge says Sony failed to show good cause for the extension sought. Denied, and must still produce documents they've thus far been unwilling to produce in any form (even partially) = pretty much agreed with sony on all points. :messenger_grinning_sweat:

WWSRad9.jpg
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I think the words "in part" probably have meaning.
 
Ass of Can Whooping said:
Can't believe such bullshit was even humoured

If I tried a game on gamepass and liked it, no I will not give you a sale, I will just continue to play it through gamepass and not waste money. I'm confident that's how most people will operate

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The only reason I wanted to buy Hades was because it happened to get off the service and I didn't complete it.

Theres incidents like this, but they are in the minority.
 
Lulu offering up some common sense finally...

  • She acknowledged some internal worry about the thread, specifically over whether it would anger Sony, which opposes the deal but also works with Activision to bring Call of Duty and other top company franchises to PlayStation.
  • "We're a partner to them," she says. "Were they worried about pissing us off when they tried to kill a really good deal that our employees wanted and that players wanted? Were they worried about pissing us off when they made all these claims that seem to be pretty disingenuous? And we didn't take it personally. … They're making the case for what's best for their business."
www.axios.com

Activision Blizzard plans a more outspoken approach

Company's head of comms talks scandals, unions and those Last of Us tweets
www.axios.com www.axios.com
 
Topher said:
Lulu offering up some common sense finally...

  • She acknowledged some internal worry about the thread, specifically over whether it would anger Sony, which opposes the deal but also works with Activision to bring Call of Duty and other top company franchises to PlayStation.
  • "We're a partner to them," she says. "Were they worried about pissing us off when they tried to kill a really good deal that our employees wanted and that players wanted? Were they worried about pissing us off when they made all these claims that seem to be pretty disingenuous? And we didn't take it personally. … They're making the case for what's best for their business."
www.axios.com

Activision Blizzard plans a more outspoken approach

Company's head of comms talks scandals, unions and those Last of Us tweets
www.axios.com www.axios.com
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man she is a PR nightmare
 
The_Mike said:
The only reason I wanted to buy Hades was because it happened to get off the service and I didn't complete it.

Theres incidents like this, but they are in the minority.
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I've not bought a single game that's been on gamepass day 1, nor will I ever.

Even games I would normally buy like Atomic Heart, Metal Hellsinger, Windjammers 2, and so on. Why would I ever buy them when I can play them for an entire month for $10.
 
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baphomet said:
I've not bought a single game that's been on gamepass day 1, nor will I ever.

Even games I would normally buy like Atomic Heart, Metal Hellsinger, Windjammers 2, and so on. Why would I every buy them when I can play them for an entire month for $10.
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I don't really know why you quoted me.

I'm talking about a game I really want to finish, but couldn't because it went off the service.

I would never buy a game I completed while it was on gamepass that would make no sense for me.
 
The_Mike said:
I don't really know why you quoted me.

I'm talking about a game I really want to finish, but couldn't because it went off the service.

I would never buy a game I completed while it was on gamepass that would make no sense for me.
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I think I more so meant to quote the person you did. Just agreeing that outside very few circumstances, what would have been a certain purchase for me becomes the opposite if it's on game pass.

Like Windjammers 2, I would have bought that if when it left there was still a thriving online community, but by the time it went off game pass the online was completely dead.

The idea that games being on game pass increases sales is and was always complete false.
 
resetera

:messenger_grinning_smiling:
if it gets blocked what I guess would happen is:
- MS immediately snatches as many marketing deals as they can. Games in the next 1-2 years would have Sony marketing due to existing deals but after that it'd be all Xbox
- MS immediately tries to find a japanese publisher to acquire. Likely Sega or Capcom
- MS gets COD marketing deal ASAP, as well as GTA VI 1 month exclusivity
- (extreme option) MS pulls all their existing games off PlayStation
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Heisenberg007 said:
Also this. Not sure if it's new or was posted earlier, but I think it would be new information to most:

AfOfMKR.jpg


Edit:
  • Document request number 13 = Microsoft requested SIE's leadership internal performance review lol 🤣
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SenjutsuSage said:
Judge says Sony failed to show good cause for the extension sought. Denied, and must still produce documents they've thus far been unwilling to produce in any form (even partially) = pretty much agreed with sony on all points. :messenger_grinning_sweat:

WWSRad9.jpg
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For real, where are both of you getting these? These are not on the FTC website for this Activision case, and these are wildly different documents. Were these leaked somewhere? How is anyone supposed to know what they believe with two different documents potentially in play?

EDIT: I just realized that Heisenberg007 Heisenberg007 's screenshot is from Sony's submission. I have no idea where SenjutsuSage SenjutsuSage 's screenshot is coming from.
 
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Eotheod said:
Interesting that Sony have so far given no evidence, as according to the subpoena, to how they would actually be affected. That's a lot of hot air to shove up someone's arse to convince CoD is the be all and end all of gaming IPs.
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It's hilarious that Sony has essentially ignored the subpoenas not only from MS but the FTC themselves.. They don't want their sneaky dealings being made public. If the deal does get blocked at least their anti-consumer practices will be addressed.
 
fred420170 said:
It's hilarious that Sony has essentially ignored the subpoenas not only from MS but the FTC themselves.. They don't want their sneaky dealings being made public. If the deal does get blocked at least their anti-consumer practices will be addressed.
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They responded to the subpoenas from the FTC. I don't know how that is "essentially ignoring them".

Sony's response:
 
James Sawyer Ford said:
I can't believe Microsoft just expected Sony to roll over on this acquisition
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I doubt they did. But this is a good way to deflect attention away from all the bad news and lies that are coming out on MS' side. It works too as can be seen by many of the MS PR talking points repeated verbatim here and in other spaces. It's also about creating a scapegoat for when or if this deal fails or is a mangled version of the original one - it's not MS' fault, it's Sony's. To me, this has been MS' MO for a long time now.
 
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fred420170 said:
It's hilarious that Sony has essentially ignored the subpoenas not only from MS but the FTC themselves.. They don't want their sneaky dealings being made public. If the deal does get blocked at least their anti-consumer practices will be addressed.
Click to expand...
k5Ws0m3.gif
 
SenjutsuSage said:
Judge says Sony failed to show good cause for the extension sought. Denied, and must still produce documents they've thus far been unwilling to produce in any form (even partially) = pretty much agreed with sony on all points. :messenger_grinning_sweat:

WWSRad9.jpg
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They've asked for 4 extensions in 15 days, without proper cause not surprising the judge denied it.
 
DarkMage619 said:
www.foxbusiness.com

Activision CEO Kotick ‘will stay’ in unlikely event Microsoft merger fails: sources

Microsoft announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard in January 2022. Activision is known for its "Call of Duty," World of Warcraft" and "Candy Crush" video games.
www.foxbusiness.com www.foxbusiness.com

Kotick fans here will be happy to hear he will stay on if the acquisition fails. There are plenty of negative aspects if this deal falls apart.
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This is how desperate y'all are getting. 🤡
 
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fred420170 said:
It's hilarious that Sony has essentially ignored the subpoenas not only from MS but the FTC themselves.. They don't want their sneaky dealings being made public. If the deal does get blocked at least their anti-consumer practices will be addressed.
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Ah yes, the "if you have nothing to hide" argument. Good luck with that, comrade.

Hendrick's Hendrick's you're better than this when it comes to subpoenas and due process, brother.
 
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I see the whole situation is becoming tragicomic :messenger_grinning_sweat:
Some people just don't want to face reality. This deal is past the stage of discussions, either Microsoft accepts to give up control of COD or the deal is done.
It's really into Microsoft's court to decide if it's still worth it, based on how nervous Kotick, Lulu and other Activision figures are becoming...it's clear they fear they will be dropped and won't get the money they wanted.
 
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laynelane said:
He shouldn't have assured regulators they have no incentive to make those titles exclusive and then done so as quickly as possible after. You can make this about Sony as much as you want to, but I'm looking at the same party regulators are - MS.
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It's about Sony because they are the ones lobbying to stop the deal. They made it about them by doing so.
The EU came out and said that MS didn't say they wouldn't be exclusive and that it wouldn't have mattered anyway.
It's a moot point.
 
In Cold Blood said:
It's about Sony because they are the ones lobbying to stop the deal. They made it about them by doing so.
The EU came out and said that MS didn't say they wouldn't be exclusive and that it wouldn't have mattered anyway.
It's a moot point.
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Google, nVidia and now the subpoena'ed Nintendo as well. This is much bigger than the petty cuntsole war.
 
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Three said:
In the drinks example I gave nothing stops a company creating new drinks but it would be investigated and stopped regardless. Not because drinks aren't finite but because of the size and brand of the drinks they make. Fanta, Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, 7UP, etc all owned by them. You can't expect to just set up a new beverage company and hope to compete. just as a new game studio set up every other week no matter how many weeks pass are unlikely to compete with CoD. Regulators don't look at whether there is finite resources, they look at what it means for competition and how likely or easy it is for that IP/brand to be replaced. How much market power it has.
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This however is subjective.
Sony are doing what they are doing because they don't want their biggest competition to get any stronger. They don't want their market position to be challenged. Make no mistake, it's 100% about money and preserving their dominate position. It has nothing to do with a greater good, or MS becoming a monopoly, it's all about that money.

Do you honestly think that game prices will rise if MS buys Activision? Not forgetting that Sony increased prices on games first.

Do you honestly think that the price of the Xbox will increase if MS buys Activision? Not forgetting that Sony increased the price of the PS5.

Do you honestly think that MS bringing COD to GP, the cloud, keeping it on PS, Steam and actually bringing it to switch reduces access?

Let's look at this realistically.
King means nothing to consoles.
Blizzard is PC guff.
Activision is 99% COD, which MS has guaranteed will stay on PS.
Tell me how that effects Sony again?
 
DeepEnigma said:
Google, nVidia and now the subpoena'ed Nintendo as well. This is much bigger than the petty cuntsole war.
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Meh, Google are trying to blame everyone else for the failure of Stadia. Stadia died well before ABK and Google have a bent against MS because they are challenging Google over their Android walled garden.

Nvidia don't want competition to the game streaming service. Nvidia were never getting Activision games, don't make their own games, and don't want MS to make Xcloud viable.

Nintendo love MS. ❤️
 
GHG said:
Stopped reading here. No point in continuing when you twitter style warriors can't even get your facts straight.
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I'm arguing what the CMA said. Their reasoning was that by MS buying ABK it would lead to higher game prices and higher subscription prices.
The fact that Sony increased prices without any of that factored in shows its horseshit.
If you want to get triggered over that, that's on you. It's a fact however.
 
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